WVU DC Makes Strong Demand from Rich Rodriguez’s Camp After $3.8M Announcement

Call it a scheduling move if you want, but $3.85 million says West Virginia is thinking bigger. Five new games. Four different opponents. And an intentional shift in momentum that says the WVU Mountaineers aren’t here to wait around. That check wasn’t just written to plug gaps in the calendar—it was a declaration of ambition. As the administration lined up marquee matchups, the football staff doubled down behind the scenes. Rebuilding a roster that has gone through sweeping change. Especially on defense.

And no one’s driving that internal rebuild harder than Zac Alley. The 30-year-old DC, plucked from Jacksonville State, walked into a unit in flux. Departures, portal shuffling, spring exits—it’s been a rotating door on that side of the ball. So Alley set a simple rule for evaluating new additions: film never lies, and motor is everything. “If we watch a transfer portal guy, you can watch his highlights or you can go watch him play an entire game,” Alley said. “And you go watch him play an entire game and realize a guy like Fred Perry … every single play, everything he’s got is going to come out of him.”

Fred Perry, an LB who thrived under Zac Alley at JSU, embodies the effort-first mentality that Alley demands. For the Mountaineers’ defense, effort and attitude are non-negotiable. Alley isn’t building around just size or scheme fit. He’s building around the heart. “Those types of things where you can tell—does this dude have that fire in them to be a guy that’s going to want to come in and freaking dominate? Or is he going to be just ‘I’m O.K. with being average?’” Alley said.

Speed, too, is a must-have in Alley’s new world. In today’s game, where every down threatens to become a track meet, defenses are exposed in space. If you can’t close in a blink or redirect on a dime, you simply don’t survive. “We need guys that can athletically change direction and run in a way that they have a chance to be successful,” Alley emphasized. And he means it. WVU isn’t hunting for just athletic bodies—they want defenders who can survive in the open field and break plays before they blossom.

But Alley’s scouting doesn’t stop at tape. He goes full background check—calls, character intel, anything to figure out who he’s bringing into the room. Because in a culture shaped by coach Rich Rodriguez, average won’t cut it. Rodriguez’s standard is brutal, honest, and unwavering. It demands every ounce of a player’s personality, especially in a locker room still defining its post-shakeup identity. Alley knows exactly what that takes. And he’s making sure his players know, too.

“It takes a different type of football player to play under head coach Rich Rodriguez, and he expects a high standard at all times,” Alley said. That culture isn’t something you stumble into—it’s something you embrace, eyes wide open. It’s why Alley preaches fit. Not just in a scheme sense, but in a soul sense. Who are you when the play breaks down? What’s your answer when your name’s not called? And are you ready to punch above your weight every single Saturday?

WVU’s defensive identity under Zac Alley is shaping up to be blunt-force honest. The Mountaineers are no longer content with roster fillers—they’re demanding tone-setters.

Mountaineers map out future with Rich cash

West Virginia just laid out a roadmap for the next decade of football, and it’s a mix of tradition, strategy, and some good ol’ scheduling savvy. The Mountaineers have locked in games that carry them through 2030, with just one non-conference opening each in 2031 and 2032. How’s that for planning ahead?

Among the new additions: a two-game home series with Akron from the MAC. Plus, single home dates with FCS squads Youngstown State, Rhode Island, and VMI. It’s all part of WVU’s continued commitment to the FCS-Group of 5-Power 4 scheduling model, which helps them balance the strength of schedule with winnable games and strong gate draws. That model looks to continue through 2030. By 2031, the Mountaineers will host VMI and travel to rival Pitt. In 2032, they’ll face Virginia in a lucrative neutral-site showdown in Charlotte, North Carolina, while also hosting Pitt.

Some of these matchups come with a decent payday, too. Youngstown State will get $550,000 to travel to Morgantown in 2028—a renewal of a series WVU leads 3-0. Akron’s payout? A cool $1.1 million per game is expected. That’s on par with other Power 5 payouts; Pitt paid Kent State the same, and Akron has made big cash in recent years with $1.8 million from Ohio State, $1 million from Rutgers, and $1.5 million from South Carolina.